Written answers

Tuesday, 27 May 2025

Department of Education and Skills

School Enrolments

Photo of John BradyJohn Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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318. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of children attending primary school in Greystones, County Wicklow, broken down by class level and per school, in tabular form. [27506/25]

Photo of John BradyJohn Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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319. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of children attending primary school in Kilcoole, County Wicklow, broken down by class level and per school, in tabular form. [27507/25]

Photo of John BradyJohn Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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320. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of children attending primary school in Newtownmountkennedy, County Wicklow, broken down by class level and per school, in tabular form. [27508/25]

Photo of John BradyJohn Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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321. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of children attending primary school in Roundwood, County Wicklow, broken down by class level and per school, in tabular form. [27509/25]

Photo of John BradyJohn Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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322. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of children attending primary school in Newcastle, County Wicklow, broken down by class level and per school, in tabular form. [27510/25]

Photo of Helen McEnteeHelen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 318, 319, 320, 321 and 322 together.

Please find attached requested information. Please note that data provided is for academic year 2023-2024, the latest available year we have final enrolment data for. Schools in Roundwood are located in the Rathdrum School Planning Area and all schools in this SPA have been included in the table.

Data is anchored on the census date of 30th September 2023. Please note that the standard table includes all mainstream pupils and pupils in special classes including those special pupils that are in a standard other than special class.

Data is collated from the class enrolments by standard data which can found at the link below.

www.gov.ie/en/department-of-education/collections/primary-schools-enrolment-figures/.

Photo of John BradyJohn Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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323. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of children attending secondary school in Greystones, County Wicklow, broken down by class level and per school, in tabular form. [27511/25]

Photo of Helen McEnteeHelen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Please find attached requested information. Please note that data provided is for academic year 2023-2024, the latest available year we have final enrolment data for.

Data is collated from the post-primary enrolments by programme and programme year data which can found at the link below:

www.gov.ie/en/department-of-education/collections/post-primary-schools-enrolment-figures/.

Photo of John BradyJohn Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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324. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to outline the pupil capacity of the secondary schools in Greystones, County Wicklow; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27513/25]

Photo of Helen McEnteeHelen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I can assure the Deputy that the provision of school places to meet the needs of children and young people at primary and post primary level, including children and young people with special educational needs is an absolute priority of mine. Since 2020, my Department has invested over €177 million in school infrastructure across County Wicklow. The Department is continually planning for and investing in existing and new schools to ensure that every child in the State has access to a school place.

My Department continues to advance the new school building project for Greystones Community College which is currently at construction. This project will deliver a new post-primary school with accommodation for at least 1,000 mainstream pupils and additional pupils with special educational needs. My Department has also recently approved further interim accommodation for 2025/2026 to allow the school to cater for approximately 774 pupils. Temple Carrig Secondary School currently have an enrolment of 946 pupils and my Department approved an Additional School Accommodation (ASA) project which will provide accommodation for at least 1,000 pupils and additional accommodation for pupils with special educational needs. This project is at the detailed design stage of the architectural process. Finally, St David's Holy Faith Secondary School already had a recent extension approved by my Department completed and has a current enrolment of 772 pupils.

The data sharing arrangements that were in place for the 2024/25 admissions process have been put in place again for the 2025/2026 admissions process in school planning areas that are experiencing enrolment pressures, including Greystones. The admissions data provided by schools allows the Department to analyse duplicate applications as there can be significant overlap in areas. My Department is aware of a small number of applicants in the Greystones school planning area without a school place for the 2025/2026 academic year and the fact that a significant proportion of pupils enrolled by the schools in Greystones are from outside the Greystones or adjacent Kilcoole school planning areas. The Department shares enrolment information on available capacity with the Education Welfare Service which is part of Tusla’s Educational Support Service (TESS) and which operates under the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000, a piece of legislation that emphasises the promotion of school attendance, participation, and retention. Department officials continue to liaise with both post-primary schools in Greystones and TESS to ensure that all local children secure a school place for the new school year.

I want to assure the Deputy that my Department will continue to work to ensure a school place for every child in Greystones.

Photo of John BradyJohn Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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325. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to outline the pupil capacity of a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27514/25]

Photo of Helen McEnteeHelen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I can assure the Deputy that the provision of school places to meet the needs of children and young people at primary and post primary level, including children and young people with special educational needs is an absolute priority of mine.

Since 2020, my Department has invested over €177 million in school infrastructure across County Wicklow. The Department is continually planning for and investing in existing and new schools to ensure that every child in the State has access to a school place.

Colaiste Chraobh Abhann's current enrolment is 774 pupils and my Department has approved further additional accommodation to cater for increased enrolments. The school currently have a Major Project which will provide capacity for in excess of 1,000 pupils plus provision for children with special education needs. The project received a full grant of planning permission and is now at Stage 3 or procurement stage of the architectural planning design process.

The Department is committed to ensuring appropriate accommodation is available for the pupils in Colaiste Chraobh Abhann and will in the wider context outlined, ensure that this project, as for all projects on our school building programme is subject to the due diligence required under the public Infrastructure Guidelines.

The current status of all projects is listed on a county by county basis at www.gov.ie. and this is updated on a regular basis to reflect project progress through the various stages of capital appraisal, site acquisition, design, tender and construction.

Photo of John BradyJohn Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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326. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the measures she is taking to provide school places for students in Greystones, County Wicklow who do not have a secondary school place for the 2025.2026 academic year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27515/25]

Photo of Helen McEnteeHelen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I can assure the Deputy that the provision of school places to meet the needs of children and young people at primary and post primary level, including children and young people with special educational needs is an absolute priority of mine.

Since 2020, my Department has invested over €177 million in school infrastructure across County Wicklow. The Department is continually planning for and investing in existing and new schools to ensure that every child in the State has access to a school place.

My Department is aware of pressures for school places in the Greystones school planning area for the 2025/26 school year. The Department has put in place a number of measures to support post-primary schools, including in Greystones, with a view to helping the admissions process for 2025/26 run as smoothly as possible.

Furthermore, the data sharing arrangements that were in place for the 2024/25 admissions process have been put in place again for the 2025/26 admissions process in school planning areas that are experiencing enrolment pressures, including Greystones. The admissions data provided by schools allows the Department to analyse duplicate applications as there can be significant overlap in areas.

My Department is aware of a small number of applicants without a school place in the Greystones school planning area for the 2025/26 academic year. Department officials continue to liaise with both post-primary schools in Greystones and Tusla’s Educational Support Service (TESS) to ensure that all local children secure a school place for the new school year.

In order to assist with the enrolment of children without a school place, the Department shares information on available capacity with the Education Welfare Service which is part of TESS and which operates under the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000, a piece of legislation that emphasises the promotion of school attendance, participation, and retention.

I want to assure the Deputy that my Department will continue to work to ensure a school place for every child in Greystones.

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